The debate among readers continues over the TIA/TSPLOST — economic development versus transportation.

Maatf: We are not ready to make a ten year tax commitment and the projects chosen are not chosen to make transportation easier to get around what has already been developed. The projects are chosen to develop more places where we can get stuck. Tolls on highways will not decrease the number of cars on the highway. They will just reserve lanes for those who can afford to pay for them and force the rest of us into the “slow” lanes, where we will burn more gas, to fund more construction and maintenance of more toll lanes. It is crazy. We need the corridor study completed so we can choose buses or trains. That is not something to leave up to a few politicians who will award those who contribute to their campaigns. Vote No.

Voice of Reason: Rail lines may work elsewhere, but we are too spread out and it won’t get me (or 3 million of my closest friends) to my workplace. Big Companies will still move here if they see it being cost or revenue favorable. BS on the mass transit justification. Those companies can go to New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, pay higher taxes and for their mass transportation if they want, the smart companies will go for lower taxes and cheaper, non unionized labor. Let’s work on timing of work schedules, traffic light patterns, and improving flow of traffic like allowing more right turn lanes and no more red turn signals at intersections with 2 turn lanes — if no oncoming traffic, then Y can’t U turn? Our local Government designs poor traffic flow for 2 reasons (1) we burn more gas and therefore pay more fuel taxes and (2) try to tick us off to vote for silly transportation dreams and spend more of our money on a failed venture designed to run deficits forever. Vote NO on SPLOST and ask your local commissioner to justify each and every improvement to you.

The Truth: The entire conversation 5 years ago to legislatively or otherwise provide for more transportation funding started as a conversation surrounding economic development. It is not a mystery that Atlanta was being bypassed by companies seeking a new home, because of traffic problems and commute times. Thus began a long process that led us to where we are now, about to vote on our first steps toward a solution. Atlanta’s entire existence is based on transportation. Our first name was Terminus as it was the point where all the rail lines intersected. That is still true to this day. Then came Hartsfield, decades of growth and expanding region. Now we are faced with a huge decision and it is one I intend to vote in favor of. To try and make Economic Development a bogeyman in this thing is ridiculous on its face. As far as Atlanta and our region is concerned Economic Development is Transportation and Transportation is Economic Development.

Stay tuned.

dmckee9613@aol.com